A decline in retail spending in July may signal a shift in spending habits as consumers straddle a strengthening economy and virus-related concerns. … READ MORE >
chart of the day
CHART OF THE DAY: Consumer confidence is sign of good things to come
The Conference Board’s Consumer Confidence Index increased to 127.3 from a revised up 120 in May. The topline index is traditionally interpreted as a forward-looking indicator of consumer spending and is very sensitive to employment conditions. … READ MORE >
CHART OF THE DAY: Fed projects U.S. will reach pre-pandemic goals by end of 2022
The Federal Open Market Committee’s projections that the economy will be back on track and meeting pre-pandemic expectations by the end of 2022 should play a role in resetting interest rate expectations by professional investors and firm managers over the next 18 months. … READ MORE >
CHART OF THE DAY: Manufacturers wrestle with disruptions, shortages and rising prices
Manufacturing growth eased from its breakneck pace in April as supply chain bottlenecks and material shortages increase backlogs and limit production efforts. … READ MORE >
CHART OF THE DAY: Official unemployment number doesn’t tell full pandemic story
Friday’s headline January U3 (official) unemployment rate of 6.3% almost certainly undercounts the number of out-of-work people in the United States, not by design, but by the peculiar circumstances of the pandemic. Our estimate implies a real unemployment rate of 7.5%, which we acknowledge could be much higher — closer to 8.5%. … READ MORE >
Chart of the day: Number of unemployed persons per job falls to 2
Recovery of the domestic labor force continues as the number of unemployed persons per job opening in the United States fell to 1.95 in September while individuals continued to be recalled to work. But these data are dynamic and prone to change. … READ MORE >